Team Herald
VARCA: Residents of various coastal villages of Salcete Taluka continued to struggle without power and water supply for the fourth consecutive day though attempts to clear the devastation caused by Cyclone Tauktae are still in progress with Electricity Department officials on their toes in the pouring rains struggling to restore the power supply to the beleaguered Salcete Taluka villagers.
While most coastal villages like Benaulim received power supply on Monday evening, other neighbouring coastal villages such as Varca, Carmona and Cavelossim received power supply late Tuesday evening. However, some residents still continued to be without power supply amidst complaints that ‘the electricity is still not completely restored and instead fluctuating like the on/off flickering Christmas lights’. Interestingly, rural villages beyond Cuncolim like Balli and Netravali claimed to have no power supply since Friday.
A Netravali villager said, “There’s no power and network in Netravali from Friday as power supply was not restored in the morning.” Similar complaints were echoed from the villages of Cortalim and Quelossim in Mormugao Taluka. Whereas the Margao municipality residents of Colmorod and Aquem-Baixo lamented that “the streetlights weren’t functioning since the municipality elections held on April 23, despite complaints made to the newly elected MMC Councillor Sandra Fernandes and the local Margao MLA and Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat”.
Meanwhile, Varca Sarpanch Crosly Charlton Lourenco disclosed, “On Tuesday, May 18, a tree fell at Calvaddo-Varca, so there’s no power supply to the entire village. There are four to five houses in the wards of Calvaddo and Rebervaddo in the village that still have no power supply. On Wednesday, I have received four complaint regarding no electricity supply from Fr Eugene at Calvaddo because of the tree falling, besides there are four-five houses in Rebervaddo and one house in Talvaddo. The Electricity Department officials and personnel are working tirelessly without having their meals to rectify the fault. The electricians have toured the village ward wise to inspect the areas having no power supply.”
Carmona sarpanch Allwyn Jorge disclosed, “The power supply is restored through the Benaulim sub-station. But still all houses do not have electricity due to disruptions in the lines. Still the Electricity Department is struggling to restore the power supply. The LT distribution system in the village is almost 45 years old and the poles have lost their load bearing capacity while the conductors are made up of hundreds of joints of varying diameters. The dilapidated condition of the LT system had been brought to the attention of the local MLA (Benaulim NCP legislator Churchill Alemao) and the Power Minister Nilesh Cabral as the concerned files for renovation need a thrust from the government.”
Meanwhile, Assolna Sarpanch Xavier Almeida informed, “On Monday, May 17, the youth from my Ward No 2 helped clear the mess. Also, we received some assistance from our Assolna police outpost in charge Anand Gaonkar and police constable Gangaram Kerkar. Thanks to our Assistant Engineer, Junior Engineer and linesmen for their tireless efforts, only 30 per cent of the electricity was restored. Now, the remaining work is in progress.”
Cavelossim Sarpanch Dionizio Dias too confirmed that the power supply was restored at 8 pm.
